Population balance modeling of polyurethane foam formation with pressure-dependent growth kernel

Polyurethane foams are widely used materials often chosen for their useful characteristics such as low thermal conductivity, ease of application, and high strength-to-weight ratios. Computational models are needed to predict the dynamics of the flow and expansion, and the resulting material properties, to improve manufacturing processes. In this paper, a model for PMDI, a water-blown polyurethane foam, is presented. By extending a kinetics-based approach by adding bubble-scale information via a population balance equation (PBE) using the quadrature method of moments, we can track bubble size distributions during foaming. We present results from a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model using arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian interface tracking implemented in finite element software. The model compares favorably with experimental data, including dynamics, bubble distributions measured by both camera and diffusion wave spectroscopy, and post-test bubble size from scanning electron microscopy and density measurements from x-ray computed tomography.